I apologize for taking so long to finally post these since I've been back. Our trip was a resounding success. We build 3 homes in the week we were there, and each of the 3 families had very different stories for why they needed these houses. 2 of the parents were for young couples with young children, so they could live in a house that was more than just pallets or cardboard. Cardboard doesn't do so well in a sandstorm. The third house was for a couple who's parents were sick, but lived an hour away, so they were able to move in with their daughter who could care for them. We also visited an orphanage for troubled or neglected children, and spend 2 days working on fixing up some of their facilities, and playing with the kids. It was great.
Here are some pics of the building of the house. It's nothing amazing, but during the 3rd day, a sandstorm hit us, and it was cool that a house that wasnt there 3 days before was now protecting all 20 of us. It's the only house for miles with sheetrock, insulation, and sliding windows. Click for larger images.
This is the family my group was building for. There is the mother, her boyfriend, and their 8 month old son. She is part of a larger family, and you can see her siblings and parents as well.
Mama, Papa, Baby, and Auntie all putting their handprints in the threshold.
These are some of the kids from the orphanage we got to play with. They're either orphans, which means their parents abandoned them, or neglected, which means they were removed from their homes and put here, as no relatives were able to care for them. Either way, you would never know, as the 3 year olds all the way up to the 13 year olds were all very happy and smiling and willing to play with you all day long, something rare to find in an orphanage!
Finally,
THANK YOU to all of those who donated BTC to help fund this trip! It was an awesome, tangible way to help make the world a better place, and to help facilitate 20+ high school kids through that journey was humbling for me. If you have any questions, ask away!
